Wine Spectator, universally recognized as the leading authority in the world of wines, has recently unveiled its much-anticipated 2023 list of Top 100 Wines of the Year.
California generally ranks well, but this year the top spot went to a Tuscan wine.
Still, California ranked #2–and took 21 total spots in the Top 100. That’s a solid showing, but given how many wineries and regions there are in our state, it means the winners are quite a selective list.
Some are pricey and fancy, but others are super accessible. Many are from right here in the Bay Area, including the Napa Valley and Sonoma wine regions.
You can read the full list here, but Wine Spectator was kind enough to share all the California wines with us. Here they are:
| Rank | Wine Name | Region/More Info | Vintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Occidental Pinot Noir | West Sonoma Coast Freestone-Occidental | 2021 |
| 4 | Raen Pinot Noir | Sonoma Coast Royal St. Robert Cuvée | 2021 |
| 6 | Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon | Howell Mountain | 2019 |
| 14 | Kistler Chardonnay | Russian River Valley Vine Hill Vineyard | 2020 |
| 17 | Margerum MS | Santa Barbara County | 2021 |
| 19 | Martinelli Pinot Noir | Green Valley of Russian River Valley Bondi Home Ranch Vineyard | 2021 |
| 23 | Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir | Sonoma Coast | 2021 |
| 27 | Ramey Chardonnay | Russian River Valley | 2021 |
| 31 | Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc | California | 2022 |
| 33 | Domaine Carneros Brut | Carneros | 2019 |
| 37 | Diatom Chardonnay | Santa Barbara County | 2022 |
| 49 | Saxum James Berry Vineyard | Paso Robles Willow Creek District | 2020 |
| 50 | Alexander Valley Vineyards Zinfandel | Alexander Valley | 2019 |
| 55 | Iron Horse Brut | Green Valley of Russian River Valley Classic Vintage | 2019 |
| 61 | Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon | Rutherford RHF | 2018 |
| 65 | Groth Sauvignon Blanc | Napa Valley | 2022 |
| 68 | Flowers Pinot Noir | Sonoma Coast | 2021 |
| 89 | Pisoni Family Chardonnay | Santa Lucia Highlands Lucia Soberanes Vineyard | 2021 |
| 96 | Ink Grade Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 2019 |
| 98 | Cathiard Family Estate Founding Brothers | Napa Valley | 2020 |
| 100 | Morisoli Cabernet Sauvignon | Rutherford | 2019 |
